JP2001134828A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic vending machine, which can be more enlarged and can accelerate a carry-out speed as well, concerning the improvement of an automatic vending machine in a structure, with which a commodity storage rack is provided inside a man body and a desired commodity is carried out by an X-Y conveyer. SOLUTION: Concerning the automatic vending machine 1, a commodity storage rack 3, an X-Y conveyer 5 and a commodity take-out device 6 are built in a main body case (main body box) 2. A storage battery 30 and a receiver 31 are provided at the lower terminal part of a vertical track 21 of the X-Y conveyer 5. All the power of a motor provided at a moving position is supplied by the storage batter 30. While the automatic vending machine 1 is on standby at a standby position, a receiving side connector 27 provided on the vertical track 21 is in contact with a transmitting side connector 26 and charged by the storage battery 30. All members provided at moving positions are controlled on the basis of the received signals of the receiver 31.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine, and more particularly to a variety of food products such as canned beverages, cup noodles, and PET bottle beverages, as well as a wide variety of products such as cigarettes, batteries, and sanitary products. It is suitable as an unmanned vending machine.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A conventional vending machine sells a single kind of commodity such as a beverage or a cigarette. That is, in the vending machine of the prior art, a vending machine that sells beverages such as orange juice, coffee and beer and a vending machine that sells cigarettes such as Seven Star, Highlights and Peace (both are registered trademarks) are separate products. Was something. By the way, in recent years, a store form called “unmanned convenience store” has been proposed. The store format called "unmanned convenience store" is to sell a part of the station concourse or a corner of the store and sell products with the number of items equivalent to the number of items handled by ordinary convenience stores with vending machines .

For this reason, if a vending machine that sells a single product as in the past is installed in a store form called an “unmanned convenience store”, an enormous number of vending machines are required. Therefore, there has been proposed a vending machine having a structure in which a product storage shelf is provided in a main body, a desired product is carried out from a predetermined product storage shelf by an XY transport device, and the product is received from a product outlet. And in the conventional vending machine, X-
A power supply cable is used to supply power from a fixed side to a motor on the moving side, such as a motor for driving the Y transport device or a motor for driving a product pick-up device for loading and unloading products from a product storage shelf. Also, in a conventional vending machine, X-
A signal for commanding the movement position of the Y transport device has been sent to the XY transport device from a fixed side exclusively by a signal cable.

[0004]

A vending machine using an XY transfer device can sell a much wider variety of products than a conventional vending machine, and is called an "unmanned convenience store". It matches the store format. However, the conventional vending machines rely on a power supply cable or a signal cable for power supply and signal transmission to a motor for driving a product pick-up device and the like, and thus there is a limit to increasing the size of the vending machine. For the same reason, the vending machine of the prior art has a limitation in increasing the unloading speed.

That is, in the conventional vending machine, X-
Since the moving part of the Y table was supplied with power supply cables from the fixed side, when the size of the product storage shelf was increased, the moving distance of the XY table became longer, the power supply cables became longer, and the power supply cables became jammed. It will be difficult. The same applies to the signal cable. When the size of the product storage shelf is increased, it becomes difficult to put the product storage shelf in place. Further, in the conventional vending machine, since the XY table operates by dragging the power supply cable or the signal cable, if the speed of the XY table is increased, the cable may be damaged. For this reason, the vending machine of the prior art has to suppress the unloading speed, and there is a limit in increasing the speed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and has as its object to develop a vending machine which can be increased in size and can also increase the unloading speed.

[0007]

The present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems comprises a main body box provided with a product take-out port, and a plurality of products arranged in the main body box and housed in predetermined positions. Product storage shelves, an XY transfer device provided near the product storage shelves and having a vertical moving member and a horizontal moving member, and a product take-out device attached to the XY transfer device, A storage battery is mounted on either the vertical moving member or the horizontal moving member of the XY transport device,
A power transmitting connector is arranged near the Y transport device, a power receiving connector is provided on either the vertical moving member or the horizontal moving member, and when the XY transport device is at a predetermined position, the power transmitting connector And the power receiving side connector is connected to charge the storage battery, and part or all of the power used by the XY transport device or the product retrieval device is covered by the discharge of the storage battery, and the product is reloaded from the product storage shelf to the product retrieval device. The vending machine is characterized in that the goods are transferred to a goods take-out port after the goods are taken out. Still another invention relates to a main body box provided with a product take-out port, a product storage shelf arranged in the main body box, and a plurality of products stored in predetermined positions, and a product storage shelf disposed near the product storage shelf. An XY transport device provided with a vertical moving member and a horizontal moving member;
A product take-out device attached to the Y transport device,
A receiver is mounted on either the vertical moving member or the horizontal moving member of the XY transport device, a transmitter is arranged inside or outside the main body box, and a moving position of the XY transport device from the transmitter. Is transmitted, the XY transport device moves to a predetermined position, the product is transferred from the product storage shelf to the product removal device, and then the product is transported to the product removal port by the XY transport device. It is a vending machine characterized by the following.

As a result, it is possible to further increase the size and speed of the vending machine.

[0009]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The invention according to claim 1 is a main body box provided with a product take-out opening, and a product storage which is arranged in the main body box and in which a plurality of products are stored at predetermined positions. A shelf, an XY transport device disposed near the product storage shelf and provided with a vertical moving member and a horizontal moving member;
It has a product removal device attached to the transport device, a storage battery is mounted on either the vertical moving member or the horizontal moving member of the XY transport device, and a power transmission side connector is provided near the XY transport device. A power receiving side connector is provided on either the vertical moving member or the horizontal moving member, and when the XY conveyance device is at a predetermined position, the power transmitting side connector and the power receiving side connector come into contact with each other to charge the storage battery. Then, part or all of the power used by the XY transport device or the product take-out device is covered by the discharge of the storage battery, and after the product is placed on the product take-out device from the product storage shelf and changed to the product take-out port. A vending machine characterized by being transported.

In the vending machine of the present invention, the storage battery is mounted on either the vertical moving member or the horizontal moving member of the XY conveying device, and the power consumption of the XY conveying device or the product taking-out device is reduced. Part or all is covered by the discharge of the storage battery. Therefore, in the vending machine of the present invention, X-
There is no need to connect a power supply cable from the fixed part to the moving part of the Y transport device. Therefore, the vending machine of the present invention
There is no need to drag the power supply cable having a long moving part, and the problem of the power supply cable being broken and the problem of the disconnection of the power supply cable are solved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, the XY transport device has a horizontal trajectory and a vertical trajectory, the horizontal trajectory is fixed, the vertical trajectory moves along the horizontal trajectory, and the product pick-up device is a vertical trajectory. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the vending machine moves up and down along a track, and a power receiving side connector and a storage battery are attached to the vertical track.

[0012] In the vending machine of the present invention, the power receiving side connector is attached to the vertical track, and the vertical track is
Move along a horizontal orbit. Therefore, the power receiving side connector is intermittent with the movement of the vertical track.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, the product take-out device has a conveyor device driven by a motor, and the motor of the conveyor device is supplied with power from a storage battery. 2. The vending machine according to 2. Furthermore, the invention according to claim 4, wherein the product take-out device has a suction device that suctions the product by vacuum,
The vacuum of the suction device is created by a vacuum pump driven by a motor, and the motor driving the vacuum pump is:
4. Power is supplied from a storage battery.
The vending machine according to any one of the above.

In the vending machines according to the third and fourth aspects, power is supplied from the storage battery to the electric motor of the device that functions as the product retrieval device. Therefore, the power supply cable does not become complicated.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the product take-out device moves up and down along a vertical trajectory by the power of a motor, and the motor is supplied with power from a storage battery. A vending machine described in Crab.

In the vending machine according to the fifth aspect, power is supplied from the storage battery to the electric motor that moves the product take-out device up and down. Therefore, the power supply cable does not become complicated.

Further, in the invention according to claim 6, a receiver is mounted on either the vertical moving member or the horizontal moving member of the XY transport device, and the transmitter is disposed inside or outside the main body box. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a signal relating to a movement position of the XY conveyance device is transmitted from the transmitter.

According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a main body box provided with a product take-out opening, a product storage shelf arranged in the main body box and accommodating a plurality of products at predetermined positions, It has an XY conveyance device provided near the storage shelf and provided with a vertical movement member and a horizontal movement member, and a product take-out device attached to the XY conveyance device. A receiver is mounted on either the direction moving member or the lateral direction moving member, a transmitter is arranged inside or outside the main body box, and a signal relating to the moving position of the XY conveyance device is transmitted from the transmitter and X- The Y transport device moves to a predetermined position,
The vending machine is characterized in that the goods are conveyed to the goods take-out port by the XY conveyance device after the goods are changed from the goods storage shelf to the goods take-out device.

In the vending machine according to the sixth and seventh aspects, the receiver is mounted on either the vertical moving member or the horizontal moving member of the XY conveying device, and is provided inside or outside the main body box. A transmitter is arranged, and a signal regarding the movement position of the XY carrier is transmitted from the transmitter. In the vending machine according to the present invention, the receiver mounted on the XY carrier receives the signal transmitted from the transmitter regarding the moving position of the XY carrier, and the XY based on the received signal. The transfer device operates. Therefore, in the vending machine according to claims 6 and 7,
There is no need to drag a signal cable whose moving part is long, and the problem of ending up of the signal cable and the problem of disconnection are solved.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. In the following description, the up-down relationship is based on the state where the vending machine 1 is installed on the ground, and the left-right relationship is
It is based on the case where the user stands on the front side of the vending machine 1. FIG.
1 is an overall perspective view showing the appearance of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view showing the inside of the vending machine of FIG. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a product mounting table employed in the vending machine of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a drive unit of the product take-out device of the vending machine of FIG. 1 and a connection portion with the product delivery device on the shelf side. FIG. 5 is a mechanism diagram illustrating a combination mechanism of the gears and the like in FIG. 4. FIG.
FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram of the vending machine of FIG. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram illustrating the operation of the XY transport device of the vending machine in FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the connection section between the drive section of the product take-out device of the vending machine shown in FIG. 1 and the product delivery device on the shelf side. FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a product take-out device employed in a vending machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a shelf-side product mounting table employed in a vending machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the XY transfer device of the vending machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. The vending machine 1 of the present embodiment includes:
As shown in FIG. 2, a product storage shelf 3 is provided in a main body case (main body box) 2.
And an X-Y transport device 5 and a product take-out device 6. To explain sequentially, the main body case 2
This is a rectangular box whose entire surface (except the bottom) is covered with a transparent plate such as glass or acrylic resin. A coin insertion slot 7 for inserting coins and an operation panel 8 such as a numeric keypad are provided on the front side (front side). A product outlet 9 is formed at the center of the right end as viewed from the front.

The product storage shelf 3 has a framework (not shown), and a large number of product placement tables 10 are arranged on the framework. Specifically, in the vending machine 1 of the present embodiment, the product storage shelves 3 are provided with the product mounting tables 10 arranged in five rows and six rows. However, in the present embodiment, the second stage from the bottom in the first row from the right overlaps with the position of the product take-out opening 8, so that there is no product mounting table 10. In the vending machine 1 according to the present embodiment, individual products are placed on each product placement table 10. And the product mounting table 10 employed in the present embodiment.
Has a kind of conveyor device and also serves as a product delivery device.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the product mounting table 10 has two rollers 11 and 12, between which a small conveyor belt 13 is suspended. The small-sized conveyor belt 13 is an endless belt made of resin, but a net-like belt can also be used. Rollers 11 and 12 are
It is attached to a frame made of "L" shaped steels 15a and 15b facing each other. A gear 16 is provided at one end of the roller 11 arranged on one of the two rollers 11 and 12 described above. The gear 16 functions as a power input member, and is exposed outside the frame 15a when the rollers 11, 12 are attached to the frame. Further, a shaft 19 projects further outward from the gear 16. Further, each product mounting table 10 is arranged with the roller 11 provided with the gear 16 facing the front side. The conveyor belt 13 of the product mounting table 10 travels with the rotation of the gear 16 exposed outside the frame 15a.

The XY transfer device 5 has a horizontal track 20 and a vertical track 21 as shown in FIG. The horizontal track 20
This is called a linear bearing or a linear guide. The horizontal track 20 is fixed at a position near the ceiling of the main body case 2 on the front side of the main body case of the above-described product mounting table 10. Also, a rack 22 having substantially the same length as the horizontal track 20 is
It is provided in parallel with the horizontal track 20.

On the other hand, the vertical track 21 is mounted orthogonal to the horizontal track 20 and moves horizontally along the horizontal track 20. On the vertical track 21, the product take-out device 6 is attached so as to be able to move up and down. A storage battery 30 and a receiver 31 are provided at the lower end of the vertical track 21.
Storage battery 30 is a normal lead storage battery.

An electric motor and a pinion gear (not shown) are provided on the back surface of the upper end of the vertical track 21. The pinion gear is engaged with the rack 22 described above. A pair of toothed pulleys is provided inside the vertical track 21 (FIG. 2).
, Only the toothed pulley 23 at the upper end is shown), and a toothed belt 25 is suspended from the toothed pulley. A part of the toothed belt 23 is connected to the product take-out device 6 by a connection fitting (not shown). An electric motor (not shown) is attached to one of the toothed pulleys, and the electric motor rotates the toothed pulley.

The XY transport device 5 is driven in the horizontal direction by engagement of a rack 22 with a pinion gear (not shown). That is, as described above, the motor and the pinion gear are provided on the vertical track 21, and the pinion gear is rotated by rotating the motor. Since the pinion gear engages with the fixed rack 22, the vertical track 21 itself moves in a horizontal direction in parallel with the rotation of the pinion gear.

The XY transport device 5 is driven vertically by a pulley 23 and a toothed belt 25 built in a vertical track 21. That is, as described above, the toothed belt 25 provided with the toothed pulley is built in the vertical track 21, and the toothed pulley rotates by rotating an electric motor (not shown), and the toothed belt 25 runs. . Since the product take-out device 6 is connected to a part of the toothed belt 25, the product take-up device 6 is moved up and down by rotating the electric motor.

In the vicinity of the left end of the horizontal track 20 of the XY transfer device 5, as shown in FIGS.
6 are provided. On the other hand, a power receiving side connector 27 is provided on the left end surface above the vertical track 21. The position of the power receiving side connector 27 is
Is moved to the left end, the power transmission side connector 26
Is the contact position. The power transmission side connector 26 and the power reception side connector 27 are a pair, and when they come into contact with each other, conduction is established between the terminal (not shown) of the power transmission side connector 26 and the terminal (not shown) of the power reception side connector 27. is there.

In this embodiment, the power transmission side connector 2
6 is connected to a DC power supply 28. On the other hand, the power receiving side connector 27 is connected to a storage battery 30 provided below the vertical track 21.

Next, the product take-out device 6 attached to the vertical track 21 will be described. Product take-out device 6
Has a conveyor device similarly to the above-described product mounting table 10, but has a driving motor 35 mounted thereon unlike the product mounting table 10, and the conveyor belt 43 runs by its own power. Further, the product removal device 6 includes a gear 36 and the like functioning as a power output member for transmitting a driving force to the product mounting table 10, and a holding device 37 for ensuring engagement of the gear 36. That is, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the product take-out device 6 has two rollers 40 and 41, between which a small conveyor belt 43 is suspended. The small-sized conveyor belt 43 is an endless belt made of resin, but a net-like belt can also be used. However, the conveyor belt 43 of the product removal device 6 has a higher coefficient of friction than the conveyor belt 13 of the product mounting table 10.

A partition member 47 is provided above the conveyor belt 43, and the partition member 47 moves back and forth as the conveyor belt 43 travels. In addition, the partition member 47
, A suction cup 48 is attached. The suction cup 48
A tube 49 is attached and connected to a vacuum pump (not shown). The vacuum pump is provided near the product take-out device 6 and is driven by an electric motor (not shown).

Two gears 45, 46 are provided at one end of the roller 40 disposed on one of the two rollers 40, 41 (shown on the near side in FIG. 4). Actually, there is a frame between the two gears 45, 46, and the roller 40 is supported by the frame between them. Of the two gears 45 and 46, the gear 45 provided outside the roller 40 is connected to the product mounting table 1 via the gear 36 of the holding member 37 as described later.
It functions as a drive gear for transmitting power to the zero side. An electric motor 35 is provided below the roller 40, and a speed reducer 50 is directly connected to the electric motor 35. A gear 51 is directly connected to the output shaft of the speed reducer 50.
The gear 51 is engaged with a gear 45 provided at one end of the roller 40 described above.

On the other hand, the holding device 37 has an upper arm 52 and a lower arm 53 having a function of opening and closing as a pair. The upper arm 52 is a plate having a substantially “L” shape. A gear 58 is integrally attached to the upper arm 52. The shaft concentric with the shaft 60 of the gear 58 is connected to the electric motor 55 via the speed reducer 56. Therefore, the upper arm 52 rotates slowly according to the rotation of the electric motor 55. At this time, the gear 58 rotates around the shaft 60.

The lower arm 53 is a plate having a trapezoidal shape, and is provided with a large cutout 59. That is, the notch 59 has a groove shape and is opened at one end of the plate body.
It has reached near the other end. The back side of the notch 59
Although substantially parallel grooves are formed, the opening extends at an angle of about 30 °. The lower arm 53 has the notch 59 facing the “L” shape of the upper arm 52 and the shaft 6
1 (FIG. 5) is rotatably supported by the frame. Here, the shaft 61 of the lower arm 53 is
0 and the rotation axes of the gears 45 and 46. Further, a gear 62 is integrally attached to the lower arm 53, and the gear 62 is engaged with the gear 58 fixed to the above-described upper arm 52. Therefore, the upper arm 52 and the lower arm 53 are linked, and when the upper arm 52 rotates, the lower arm 53 rotates about the shaft 61. Further, as described above, since the upper arm 52 and the lower arm 53 are in a positional relationship facing each other, when the upper arm 52 rotates, the lower arm 53 opens and closes each other.

A gear (power output member) 36 is mounted on the lower arm 53 so as to freely rotate. The center axis 66 of the gear 36 is eccentric to the gear 62 fixed to the lower arm 53 as shown in FIG. This gear 36
Is a gear 46 provided on an extension of the roller 40 described above.
Is engaged. When the upper arm 52 rotates as described above, the lower arm 53 rotates about the shaft 61.
3, the shaft 61 of the lower arm 53 is located on an extension of the rotation shaft 65 of the roller 40. Therefore, when the lower arm 53 rotates, the idle gear 62 Revolve around a gear 46 provided on an extension of the rotary shaft 65 of the motor. Therefore, even if the lower arm 53 rotates, the idle gear 62 attached to the lower arm 53
Maintain engagement with a gear 46 provided on an extension of the roller 40.

The product take-out device 6 is attached to the vertical track 21, and the holding device 37 of the product take-out device 6 faces the product placing table 10.

Next, a power circuit and a signal circuit of the vending machine 1 according to the present embodiment will be described. In the vending machine 1 of the present embodiment, as described above,
The storage battery 30 is provided, and the electric power of the electric motor and the lamp provided at the moving part is entirely covered by the storage battery 30. More specifically, at least the vertical trajectory 2
An electric motor (not shown) for moving 1 horizontally;
A motor (not shown) for raising and lowering the product take-out device 6, a motor 35 for driving the product take-out device 6, a motor 55 for driving the holding device 37, and a motor (not shown) for driving the vacuum pump are Power is supplied from the storage battery 30 as shown in FIGS. The receiver 31 provided at the lower end of the vertical track 21 also receives power from the storage battery 30. Therefore, in the vending machine 1 of the present embodiment, there is no power supply cable connecting the fixed side and the vertical track 21. As described above, the power receiving connector 27 provided on the vertical track 21 is connected to the storage battery 30, and the power receiving connector 27 and the pair of power transmitting connectors 26 are connected to the DC power supply 28.

Further, in the vending machine 1 of this embodiment, as described above, the receiver 31 is provided at the lower end of the vertical track 21, and the control of the members provided at the moving parts is entirely controlled by the reception. This is performed based on the reception signal of the device 31. That is, the moving position (stop position) of the XY transport device 5 is determined by the reception signal of the receiver 31. Specifically, the information such as the position of the shelf input from the operation panel 8 is converted into a radio wave by the transmitter 68 disposed at the corner of the main body case 2.
It is transmitted by radio waves and received by the receiver 31 attached to the vertical orbit 21. Then, based on this signal, X
-The Y transport device 5 operates. Therefore, in the vending machine 1 of the present embodiment, there is no signal cable connecting the fixed side and the vertical track 21.

Next, the operation of the vending machine 1 of this embodiment will be described. In the vending machine 1, the vertical trajectory 21 of the XY transfer device 5 is always waiting at the leftmost standby position, as shown in FIG. At this time, the power receiving side connector 27 provided near the upper end of the vertical track 21
0, which is in contact with a power transmission side connector 26 provided near the left end, is supplied with power from a DC power supply 28 to a storage battery 30 attached to the vertical track 21, and the storage battery 30 is charged.

When purchasing goods from the vending machine 1,
A predetermined amount of money is inserted through the coin insertion slot 7, and a desired product is selected by operating the ten keys of the operation panel 8. Here, in the vending machine 1 of this embodiment, since the main body case 2 is transparent, the user selects a product while viewing the product storage shelf 3 from outside.

The signal from the numeric keypad is sent to a transmitter 68 placed at a corner of the main body case 2 and emitted from the transmitter 68 as a radio wave. This signal is received by the receiver 31 placed on the vertical track 21 of the XY transport device 5, and the XY transport device 5 is moved to a predetermined position. At this time, FIG.
As shown in (b), the vertical track 21 moves parallel to the right along the horizontal track 20, and the power receiving connector 27 is separated from the power transmitting connector 26. However, since each of the electric motors is supplied with power from the storage battery 30 placed on the vertical track 21, the XY transport device 5 continues to operate.

Then, the XY transport device 5 stops the product take-out device 6 in front of the product placement table 10 on which the desired product is placed. At this time, the gear 16 and the shaft 19 on the product placement table 10 are located near the holding device 37 of the product removal device 6. Then, in this state, the electric motor 55 is driven to operate the upper arm 52 and the lower arm 53 of the holding device 37, and the product take-out device 6 is connected to the product mounting table 10. That is, the electric motor 55 is driven by discharging the storage battery 30, and the upper arm 52 of the holding device 37 is rotated in the direction of the arrow in FIGS. With the rotation of the upper arm 52, the gear 58 fixed to the upper arm 52 rotates, and the gear 5
The gear 62 which engages with the gear 8 rotates. Therefore, the gear 62
The lower arm 53 pivots in the direction of the arrow in FIGS. As a result, the upper arm 52 and the lower arm 53 of the holding device 37 rotate in a direction to close each other, and as shown in FIG. 8B, the upper arm 52 and the lower arm 53 move the shaft 19 on the product mounting table 10 side. The shaft 19 is engaged with the horizontal groove portion of the cutout portion 59 of the lower arm 53 by holding the shaft. In this embodiment, the notch 59 of the lower arm 53 has a wide opening, so that the shaft 19 can be smoothly received.

With the rotation of the lower arm 53, the gear 36 attached to the lower arm 53 so as to rotate freely becomes the gear 4
The gear 36 revolves around the gear 46 while still engaged with the gear 6, and the gear 36 gradually approaches the gear 16 on the product mounting table 10 side, and finally comes into contact with the gear 16 on the product mounting table 10 side. Thus, the gear 36 provided on the lower arm of the product take-out device 6 engages with the gear 16 of the product mounting table 10. According to the configuration of the present embodiment, the gear 36 provided on the lower arm
However, from the state of being placed on the same plane as the gear 16 on the product mounting table 10 side, the distance between the shafts is gradually reduced to the engaged state, so that the teeth of the gears may collide at the time of meshing. Few. Therefore, according to the configuration of the present embodiment, the gears are smoothly engaged with each other. Further, in the present embodiment, the notch 59 of the lower arm 53 holds the shaft 19 on the product mounting table 10 side, so that the gear 36 on the product take-out device 6 side and the gear 16 on the product mounting table 10 side The distance and the positional relationship in the left-right direction are ideal. The notch 59 of the lower arm 53 holds the shaft 19 on the product mounting table 10 side, so that the gears 36, 16
The gears 36 and 16 are also prevented from escaping due to the force generated during the rotation of.

The upper arm 52 and the lower arm 53 of the holding device 37 hold the shaft 19 on the product placing table 10 side, and the gear (power output member) 36 on the product pick-up device 6 side and the gear 19 on the product placing table 10 side. When the gear (power input member) 16 is engaged, the rotation of the motor 55 is stopped, and the motor 35 provided below the roller 40 is driven instead. The rotation of the electric motor 35 is reduced by the speed reducer 50, transmitted to the gear 51, and further transmitted to the gear 45 integrated with the roller 40. As a result, the roller 40 rotates, and the conveyor belt 43 on the merchandise take-out device 6 travels in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

On the other hand, as the roller 40 rotates, the roller 4
The gear 46 attached to 0 rotates. Here gear 4
6, the gear 36 of the lower arm 53 is always engaged with the gear 46 as described above.
6 is engaged with the gear 16 on the product mounting table 10 side,
With the rotation of the roller 40 on the product take-out device 6, the roller 11 on the product mounting table 10 also rotates. Here, in the present embodiment, as described above, the notch 59 of the lower arm 53 is used.
As a result, the shaft 19 on the product placing table 10 is held, so that the distance between the gear 36 on the product take-out device 6 side and the gear 16 on the product placing table 10 and the positional relationship in the left-right direction are ideal. Has become. Further, since the shaft 19 on the product placing table 10 side is held by the notch 59 of the lower arm 53, the gears 36, 16 are prevented from escaping due to the force generated when the gears 36, 16 rotate. So
The engagement between the gear 36 on the product take-out device 6 side and the gear 16 on the product placement table 10 is reliable. Therefore, power is transmitted from the gear 36 on the product take-out device 6 side, and the gear 16 on the product placement table 10 rotates. Accordingly, the conveyor belt 13 on the product placing table 10 also travels in the direction of the arrow in FIG.

As a result, the commodities on the commodity mounting table 10 are dispensed by a dispensing device (conveyor device) constituted by the rollers 11 and 12 and the conveyor belt 13, moved to the commodity retrieval device 6, and moved to the commodity retrieval device 6. It is taken to 6 side. The running speed of the conveyor belt 43 on the product pick-up device 6 side and the running speed of the conveyor belt 13 on the product mounting table 10 differ depending on the number of gear teeth and the diameter of the roller. Is designed to be faster. Therefore, when a part of the product comes into contact with the conveyor belt 43 on the product take-out device 6 side, the product smoothly passes between the conveyors and moves to the product take-out device 6 side.

When it is confirmed by a sensor or the like (not shown) that the product has moved to the product take-out device 6, the motor 35 is stopped and the conveyor device is stopped. Subsequently, the electric motor 55 of the holding device 37 is rotated in the direction opposite to the previous direction, and the upper arm 52 and the lower arm 53 are turned in the opening direction, thereby releasing the holding of the shaft 19 on the product mounting table 10 side. At this time, the lower arm 53
At the same time, the gear 36 escapes, and the gear 3 on the product take-out device 6 side
The engagement relationship between the gear 6 and the gear 16 on the product mounting table 10 side is released.

Subsequently, the XY transport device 5 is operated, and the product take-out device 6 is moved to a position corresponding to the product take-out port 9. Here, the user is required to take out the product outlet 9
And take out the desired product. When a series of operations is completed, the XY transport device 5 returns to the original standby position. Then, the power receiving side connector 27 provided on the vertical track 21 is joined to the power transmitting side connector 26 again, and the charging of the storage battery 30 is restarted.

In the embodiment described above, the conveyor belt 13 of the product placing table 10 is mainly run,
Although the example of paying out goods has been described, the vending machine 1 of the present embodiment also has a vacuum function, and can pay out goods by suction of vacuum. For example, if you want to sell bagged soups, use X as in the previous embodiment.
-The Y transport device 5 is moved to the shelf where the product is taken, and the conveyor belt 43 of the product take-out device 6 is moved in the direction of the bag where the product is taken. Then, a vacuum pump (not shown) is driven, and the sucker 48 sucks the bag. Then, the conveyor belt 43 is moved in a direction away from the product storage shelf, and the bags are taken into the product take-out device 6.

A product take-out device 70 shown in FIG. 9 is a modified embodiment of the present invention, and has a configuration particularly suitable for selling a bag or the like. The product take-out device 70 shown in FIG. 9 has a screen member 71 and a suction cup 72 attached thereto.
1 is offset in the traveling direction with respect to the front surface. Further, the partition member 71 has a swinging structure. When the partition member 71 is located at a position away from the product storage shelf 73, the partition member 71 is inclined rearward, and when approaching the product storage shelf 73. Rocks forward.

The product storage shelf 73 is constituted by, for example, an inclined rod 75, and a bag 76 for forming the rod 75.
Is suspended. Product take-out device 7 shown in FIG.
At 0, during standby, the partition member 71 is inclined rearward, and when the product take-out device 70 comes close to the shelves in the room,
The partition member 71 moves forward, and further falls forward.
As a result, the suction cup 72 of the partition member 71 comes into contact with the surface of the bag 76 and sucks the bag 76 by the action of vacuum. Then, the partition member 71 is moved backward to take in the bag 76.

Next, a modification of the product mounting table 10 will be described. In the above embodiment, the product mounting tables 10 are all of the same size, but since the products sold at the "unmanned convenience store" are various, various types of product mounting tables are required. Becomes The product mounting table 80 shown in FIG. 10 meets this demand, and the auxiliary product mounting table 80b can be arranged side by side with respect to the main product mounting table 80a to expand the entire width. That is, one main product mounting table 80a is substantially the same as that described in the previous embodiment,
It has two rollers 11 and 12, between which a small conveyor belt 13 is suspended. A gear 16 is provided at one end of the roller 11 disposed in front of the two rollers 11 and 12, and a shaft 19 protrudes outward from the gear 16. The difference between the main product mounting table 80a and the previous embodiment is the structure of the other end of the roller 11. That is, in the main product mounting table 80a of this embodiment, the rollers 11
Has the other end projecting outward from the frame 15b,
An engagement structure 82 is provided on the end surface to constitute a power output member. More specifically, in the product mounting table 80a, the other end of the roller 11 is provided with a ridge-shaped protrusion.

The adjacent auxiliary product mounting table 80b is slightly wider than the main product mounting table 80a, and has two rollers 11 and 12, between which a small conveyor belt 13 is suspended. However, an engagement structure 83 is provided at an end of the roller 11 to constitute a power input member. More specifically, in the auxiliary product mounting table 80b,
A groove-shaped concave portion is provided at an end of the roller 11. Then, the engaging structure 83 of the auxiliary product placing table 80b engages with the engaging structure 82 of the main product placing table 80a, and the transmission of rotational force is performed between the two.

Auxiliary product mounting table 80b employed in this embodiment
When a large product is to be placed, as shown in FIG. 10, a main product placing table 80a and an auxiliary product placing table 80b are combined and used as a wide product placing table 80. On the other hand, when placing a small product, one of the main product
Is used alone. In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which two product mounting tables 80a and 80b can be connected, but a configuration in which three or more product mounting tables are connected is also possible.

The product mounting table 1 employed in the above embodiment.
Both 0 and 80 are open on the front side, but it is also recommended to provide a gate on the front side to prevent the product from falling. A member indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4 is a gate 85, which has a swing arm 86, and a horizontal bar 87 for preventing a product from falling is provided at an end thereof.
The gate 85 is swingably attached to, for example, a frame of the product mounting table 10, and is normally urged by a spring (not shown) so that the horizontal bar 87 moves the product mounting table 1 as shown in FIGS.
The front of 0 is blocked. Then, when taking out the product, the upper arm 52 of the holding member 37 is brought into contact with the swing arm 86, and the swing arm 86 is pushed down as shown in FIG.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the XY driving device has the horizontal trajectory 20 fixed and the vertical trajectory 21 moves horizontally along the horizontal trajectory 20, but the vertical trajectory is fixed. The horizontal track may move. When the configuration in which the horizontal track moves is employed in this manner, the power receiving side connector is attached to the horizontal track.

In the above-described embodiment, the merchandise take-out devices 6 and 70 are each equipped with a conveyor device. However, the present invention is not limited to the one equipped with a conveyor device. The device may use, for example, a magic hand.

[0059]

As described above, the vending machine according to the present invention does not need to drag a power supply cable having a long moving portion, and solves the problem of ending the power supply cable and the problem of disconnection of the power supply cable. Therefore, the vending machine of the present invention
There is an effect that the size can be increased and the speed can be increased as compared with the related art. Similarly, the vending machine of the present invention eliminates the need to drag a signal cable whose moving part is long, eliminating the problem of signal cable ending and disconnection, realizing a larger size and higher speed than before. There is an effect that can be done.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view showing the appearance of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an overall perspective view showing the inside of the vending machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of a product mounting table used in the vending machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a drive unit of the product take-out device of the vending machine of FIG. 1 and a connection portion with a product delivery device on the shelf side.

FIG. 5 is a mechanism diagram illustrating a combination mechanism of gears and the like in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a circuit diagram of the vending machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the operation of the XY transfer device of the vending machine in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is an explanatory view for explaining the operation of a connection section between the drive section of the product take-out device of the vending machine of FIG. 1 and the product delivery device on the shelf side;

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of a product take-out device used in a vending machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a shelf-side product mounting table employed in a vending machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory view for explaining the operation of an XY transfer device of a vending machine according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vending machine 2 Main body case (main body box) 3 Commodity storage shelf 5 XY conveyance device 10 Commodity mounting table 11, 12 Roller 13 Conveyor belt 16 Gear (power input member) 19 Axis 20 Horizontal track 21 Vertical track 22 Rack 26 Power transmitting connector 27 Power receiving connector 30 Storage battery 31 Receiver 35 Motor 36 Gear (power output member) 37 Holding device 40, 41 Roller 45 Drive gear 46, 51, 58, 62 Gear 48 Suction cup 52 Upper arm 53 Lower arm 59 Notch Part 68 Transmitter 70 Product take-out device 72 Suction cup 80 Product placement table 82, 83 Engagement structure 85 Gate 86 Swing arm

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 3E046 AA02 BA01 BA02 BA03 BB01 CB06 CC03 CC04 DA07 EA11 EB01 FA04 FA10 3F022 AA09 FF07 FF14 JJ07 JJ14 KK10 MM08 MM66 MM67

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A main body box provided with a product outlet,
An XY transport device including a product storage shelf arranged in a main body box and accommodating a plurality of products at predetermined positions, and a vertical movement member and a horizontal movement member disposed near the product storage shelf. And a product take-out device attached to the XY transfer device, and a storage battery is mounted on either the vertical moving member or the horizontal moving member of the XY transfer device, and in the vicinity of the XY transfer device. When the power transmission side connector is arranged, the power receiving side connector is provided in either the vertical moving member or the horizontal moving member, and when the XY conveyance device is at a predetermined position,
The power transmission side connector and the power receiving side connector are in contact with each other and the storage battery is charged, and part or all of the electric power used by the XY transport device or the product take-out device is covered by the discharge of the storage battery, and the product is taken from the product storage shelf to the product take-out device. A vending machine wherein the goods are transferred to a goods outlet after the goods are changed. 2. The XY conveyor has a horizontal trajectory and a vertical trajectory, the horizontal trajectory is fixed, the vertical trajectory moves along the horizontal trajectory, and the product take-out device moves up and down along the vertical trajectory. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a side connector and a storage battery are mounted on the vertical track. 3. The product pick-up device has a conveyor device driven by an electric motor, and the electric motor of the conveyor device is supplied with power from a storage battery.
Or the vending machine according to 2. 4. The product take-out device has a suction device for sucking a product by a vacuum, and the vacuum of the suction device is created by a vacuum pump driven by a motor, and the motor driving the vacuum pump is supplied with power from a storage battery. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vending machine is used. 5. The vending machine according to claim 2, wherein the merchandise take-out device moves up and down along a vertical trajectory by the power of a motor, and the motor is supplied with power from a storage battery. 6. A receiver is mounted on one of a vertical moving member and a horizontal moving member of an XY conveying device, and a transmitter is arranged inside or outside a main body box. The vending machine according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a signal relating to a movement position of the device is transmitted. 7. A main body box provided with a product outlet,
An XY transport device including a product storage shelf arranged in a main body box and accommodating a plurality of products at predetermined positions, and a vertical movement member and a horizontal movement member disposed near the product storage shelf. And a product take-out device attached to the XY transport device, wherein the receiver is mounted on either the vertical moving member or the horizontal moving member of the XY transport device, and inside or outside the main body box. A signal regarding the moving position of the XY transport device is transmitted from the transmitter, the XY transport device moves to a predetermined position, and the product is reloaded from the product storage shelf to the product removal device. A vending machine wherein the product is conveyed to a product take-out port by an XY conveyance device after the vending.